The third season of the Nepal Premier League (NPL) begins on Monday 26 October 2026. Defending champions Lumbini Lions open against Sudurpaschim Royals, the team they beat in the 2025 final. The season ends with the final on Saturday 21 November.
Dates, venue and times
Every match is at our own Tribhuvan University International Cricket Ground (TU Ground) in Kirtipur, where big international names play alongside Nepal's stars. The Kathmandu Post reports that about 2,000 seats have been added there, along with a covered stand, an LED scoreboard and a new media centre.
Match timings, Nepal time:
- Day matches: 12:30 pm
- Evening matches: 5:00 pm
The Cricket Association of Nepal (CAN) moved the evening start from 4:30 pm to 5:00 pm on 20 October, to allow time for DRS.
Tickets, broadcast and prize money
- Tickets: Rs 500 and Rs 1,000 for league matches, sold through eSewa, the official ticketing partner.
- Streaming (OTT): NetTV.
- TV: Himalaya Sports.
- Prize money: the champions win Rs 1.5 crore.
Format
Eight teams play each other once in a 28-match league. The top four go into the playoffs:
- Qualifier 1 (17 Nov): 1st v 2nd. The winner goes to the final.
- Eliminator (18 Nov): 3rd v 4th.
- Qualifier 2 (19 Nov): the loser of Qualifier 1 v the winner of the Eliminator.
- Final (21 Nov): the winner of Qualifier 1 v the winner of Qualifier 2.
That makes 32 matches in all. A Kathmandu Post preview from September mentioned 21 league matches. However, the published fixture list on ESPNcricinfo, and Wisden's preview, both show 28 league games plus four playoffs.
What is new this season
- ICC sanction. On 16 October, CAN announced that the ICC had sanctioned the third season. Its matches have official T20 status, so runs and wickets count in players' career records. Our explainer on ICC recognition has the details.
- DRS and modern match technology for the first time. The Decision Review System is used in every match, and each team is allowed two unsuccessful reviews per innings. Our DRS explainer has the details.
- New broadcasters. Himalaya Sports shows the matches on TV in Nepal and NetTV streams them. Our where-to-watch guide covers the rest.
- More overseas players. Each squad may have six to eight overseas players. Up to four can play in an XI, and at least one must come from an ICC Associate Member country.
The eight teams and their captains
- Biratnagar Kings: Sandeep Lamichhane
- Chitwan Rhinos: Kushal Malla
- Janakpur Bolts: Harmeet Singh
- Karnali Yaks: Sompal Kami
- Kathmandu Gorkhas: Karan KC
- Lumbini Lions: Rohit Paudel
- Pokhara Avengers: Kushal Bhurtel
- Sudurpaschim Royals: Dipendra Singh Airee
Himal Press confirms the Lumbini and Sudurpaschim captains, and Ratopati named Harmeet Singh as Janakpur captain in August. The other five captains come from the published squad lists, and we will confirm them against the first match XIs.
Overseas signings
The Kathmandu Post listed each franchise's overseas players on the eve of the season:
- Kathmandu Gorkhas: David Warner
- Karnali Yaks: David Miller, Sahibzada Farhan, Hussain Talat
- Biratnagar Kings: Andre Russell, Charith Asalanka, Angelo Mathews, Shubham Ranjane, Shehan Jayasuriya
- Pokhara Avengers: Shakib Al Hasan, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Saifuddin, Dhananjaya Lakshan, Chamika Karunaratne
- Janakpur Bolts: Moeen Ali, Jimmy Neesham, Iftikhar Ahmed, Harmeet Singh, Hunain Shah
- Sudurpaschim Royals: Sherfane Rutherford, Scott Kuggeleijn, Saif Zaib, Brandon McMullen
- Lumbini Lions: Niroshan Dickwella, D'Arcy Short, Ruben Trumpelmann, Shamim Hossain, Shadley van Schalkwyk
- Chitwan Rhinos: Sikandar Raza, Ravi Bopara, Kaleem Sana
Before the auction, the teams retained 52 players between them, according to the Kathmandu Post. Ruben Trumpelmann, the 2025 Player of the Series, is in Lumbini's squad again. Their squad also includes national team opener Aasif Sheikh, according to Himal Press.
Opening week
- Mon 26 Oct, 5:00 pm: Lumbini Lions v Sudurpaschim Royals
- Tue 27 Oct, 12:30 pm: Biratnagar Kings v Chitwan Rhinos
- Tue 27 Oct, 5:00 pm: Karnali Yaks v Janakpur Bolts
- Wed 28 Oct, 5:00 pm: Pokhara Avengers v Sudurpaschim Royals
- Thu 29 Oct, 12:30 pm: Janakpur Bolts v Kathmandu Gorkhas
- Thu 29 Oct, 5:00 pm: Karnali Yaks v Biratnagar Kings
The full fixture list, with results as they come in, is on the KhataIN Cricket Hub.
Sources
- NPL Season 3 information sheet (2026): dates, match timings, ticket prices, ticketing, broadcasters and prize money
- Kathmandu Post (23 Oct 2026), what's new in season 3: https://kathmandupost.com/cricket/2026/10/23/what-s-new-in-the-nepal-premier-league-s-third-season
- Kathmandu Post (25 Oct 2026), overseas players by franchise: https://kathmandupost.com/sports/2026/10/25/npl-returns-with-bigger-ambitions-and-global-recognition
- Kathmandu Post (20 Sep 2026), opener and schedule: https://kathmandupost.com/cricket/2026/09/20/lumbini-lions-to-face-sudurpaschim-royals-in-npl-opener
- Kathmandu Post (20 Jun 2026), 52 players retained: https://kathmandupost.com/sports/2026/06/20/52-players-retained-by-teams-for-npl-season-3
- Nepalnews (20 Oct 2026), CAN statement on DRS and match times: https://english.nepalnews.com/s/sports/drs-to-be-employed-in-all-games-under-npl-change-in-game-schedule/
- Himal Press (26 Oct 2026), opener preview: https://en.himalpress.com/lumbini-lions-face-sudurpaschim-royals-in-npl-opener-today/
- Ratopati English (18 Aug 2026), foreign signings: https://english.ratopati.com/story/75270/franchise-teams-rely-on-veteran-foreign-players-in-npl
- ESPNcricinfo (ESPN), NPL fixtures: https://africa.espn.com/cricket/scores/series/23081/nepal-premier-league
- Wisden (25 Oct 2026), NPL 2026 guide: https://www.wisden.com/cricket-news/nepal-premier-league-2026-live-streaming-and-tv-channels-where-to-watch-live-and-start-time-for-npl-2026